Beetroot Chicken (Serves 5)

Beet root and Chicken!! What a Paradox, right? . Well these seemingly ‘unblendable’ ingredients were combined to a very tasty and colorful recipe by Shobana Aunty, amma of my (Suji) dearest friend Chitra. We 1st tasted this recipe on our visit to her home in Maryland and within no time, it became a favorite in our list of goodeats. This dish can be easily made with the usual ingredients and the bright purplish red color imparted by beetroot makes addition of coloring agents quite unnecessary. This dish also goes well with all sorts of food including the usual variations of desi bread and rice…Enjoy………….

Boneless skinless chicken 2 lbs/ 1 kg
Beetroot 1 small or ½ a medium
Chicken masala 2 TBSP+ 1 tsp (we used Eastern Chicken masala)
Onions 1 big, thinly sliced
Salt as needed
Oil 1 TBSP

Preparation

Clean and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Marinate the chicken with 2 TBSP Eastern chicken masala and enough salt for about 30 minutes minimum.

Meanwhile, cut the beetroot to small pieces and make a smooth paste using a blender by adding little water, if needed.

After 30 minutes marination, steam the chicken pieces in a steamer for about 20 minutes or until well cooked. Allow this to cool down.

Heat oil in a pan (medium), and add the thinly sliced onions along with salt. Roast the onions until they fetch a golden brown color. Add the rest of the chicken masala and sauté until the raw smell is completely gone. Next add the cooked chicken pieces and blend well with the onions. Cook this in a med heat for about 15 minutes. Now add the ground beetroot and mix well to combine. Roast the whole chicken mixture until dry or till a dark reddish brown color is attained (this will take about 15-20 minutes). Make sure the heat is maintained at medium throughout the cooking.

Tips

If you wish, you can add curry leaves and coriander leaves to the curry.